New Florida law ensures voter-approved school taxes go directly to classrooms

A new state law that took effect July 1 stops tax collectors across Florida from taking commissions on voter-approved school referendum dollars, potentially saving tens of millions of dollars annually statewide.

The reform started with a lawsuit right here in Sarasota County.

For 24 years, Sarasota County voters had approved extra taxes specifically for their schools—money earmarked to hire teachers, improve safety, and fund classroom programs. But not every penny made it to students.

"We were told every single penny of that money was gonna be used in the classroom for teachers and students," said Daniel DeLeo, a partner attorney with Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP who led the lawsuit.

Money did go to classrooms in Sarasota, but not all of it. For the first time in two decades, the tax collector started taking commissions on that voter-approved school money.

"For 24 years we as a community had decided that we were gonna tax ourselves just a little bit more and use all of that money for schools," DeLeo explained. "Suddenly they shifted the burden from the county commission having to pay that tax, which we had done for 24 years, to now the school district had to pay it going forward."

Impact: Teacher layoffs and budget cuts

That change had major repercussions.

"We actually had to lay off teachers, right? We had to reduce staff," DeLeo said.

The Sarasota County School Board fought back and filed a lawsuit. Court documents show the tax collector's office argued that it was legally entitled to those commissions under state law. The school board disagreed.

They won—and that victory sparked statewide reform.

House Bill 7031E: Statewide protection

House Bill 7031E, which took effect this month, means tax collectors can no longer take commissions on voter-approved school millages.

"The tax collectors in the future can't do this. It means that the schools aren't going to be responsible for paying that commission," DeLeo said.

Through the lawsuit, DeLeo said they discovered 28 other school districts across Florida had faced similar scenarios. Now the precedent is set for all 67 districts statewide.

Taxpayers react

Sarasota resident Richard Jones said he supports giving more money to schools, but expressed skepticism about whether reforms actually work.

"I hope that that law actually works. How about that?" Jones said. "I've gotten to a point in life where I don't really trust anytime we throw extra money, it's never enough."

Still, DeLeo said the new law accomplishes what voters intended all along.

"When we were told that all that money would be used for the schools, 100% of it, that now is the case as it should be," he said.

The new law took effect July 1, the same day school districts finalize budgets for the upcoming year—meaning millions more dollars will now go directly to classrooms instead of administrative fees.

Tampa Bay 28 reached out to the Sarasota County Tax Collector's Office for comment and has not heard back.